Film UbuWebChris & Cosey (Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti)
Chris & Cosey - European Rendez-Vous (1984)
Cosey Fanni Tutti - A Study in Scarlet, etc. (1987)
Chris Carter
Born in London, England Chris Carter is best known for being a founder member Throbbing Gristle and one half of electronic duo Chris & Cosey (aka Carter Tutti). His long time partner Cosey Fanni Tutti is the mother of his son, Nick and is also a member of TG.
He began his career in the late 1960's working for various TV stations (Thames, Granada and LWT) as a sound engineer on numerous TV shows and documentaries. This gave him an invaluable grounding in working with sound, audio techniques and theories. He also got more involved in the visual side of entertainment and performance, which eventually progressed into designing and presenting light shows and visual effects for numerous festivals, events and performances, including bands as diverse as Yes and Hawkwind. This work led to commissions for BBC TV shows, Colour Me Pop and The Old Grey Whistle Test.
By the early 70s' Chris was touring universities and colleges with a solo, multimedia show playing self-built synthesizers and keyboards and incorporating a myriad of lighting effects gleaned from his previous work. During this time he also worked extensively with visual artist John Lacey on many 8 mm & 16 mm experimental films and multimedia presentations. In the mid 1970s', and through his connection with John Lacey, Chris began an experimental music/sound collaboration with Cosey Fanni Tutti and Genesis P-Orridge, who at the time were also performing as COUM Transmissions with Peter Christopherson.
The results of this musical collaboration was the creation of the now legendary Throbbing Gristle, Industrial Records and the birth of the 'Industrial Music' phenomenon. In 1976 Chris also worked at the London bureau of the ABC News agency as a sound engineer and during that time designed and constructed their London radio studio. In 1977 he was offered a contract to build another ABC studio in Rome but turned it down to continue his involvement as a member of Throbbing Gristle.
During the early years of TG the four members each continued with other solo projects and work. It was during this period (1980) when Chris recorded his first solo album for Industrial Records titled 'The Space Between', (now available on Mute Records). Shortly after the demise of Throbbing Gristle in 1982 Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti formed the Conspiracy International record label CTI (with backing from Rough Trade Records) and began working together as Chris & Cosey and also as CTI. Initially releasing only music they soon moved into producing video works and with the help of Doublevision released a number of CTI experimental video films and soundtracks. In 1985 Chris released his second solo album Mondo Beat. As well as successfully touring all over the world Chris & Cosey also recorded and collaborated on innumerable releases, most notably with Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart, Robert Wyatt, Coil, Boyd Rice, Lustmord, Monte Cazazza and many more. Chris & Cosey have also remixed tracks for Mortal Loom and Erasure. In 1994 Chris moved also into journalism and regularly has technical articles and reviews published in UK magazine Sound On Sound.
Chris is also a keen photographer and in collaboration with Cosey Fanni Tutti has designed and produced numerous album covers, posters and art works. 1995 saw Chris return to solo performance work after a gap of some 15 years. In 1998 Chris released a compilation CD of tracks from his 1995 Disobey tour: Disobedient, and In 2000 he released a solo studio album: Small Moon. 1998 also saw the release of Caged, a collaboration album with electro musician Ian Boddy.
In 2000 Chris, in collaboration with Cosey Fanni Tutti, began producing and releasing a series albums titled: Electronic Ambient Remixes. The first of these, EAR ONE, consisted of remixes of his 1980 'The Space Between' album. In 2002 he released EAR THREE a further solo ambient CD, which consists of remixes of his original Throbbing Gristle industrial rhythm tracks. In 2003 Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti stopped releasing material and performing as Chris & Cosey and now produce all their work under the title of CARTER TUTTI. Their most recent performance was in February 2005 at the LA MOCA 'See Hear Now' festival, in Los Angeles.
Chris Carter and the other original members of Throbbing Gristle regrouped in 2002 for a series of TG related releases and events. These include the TG24 CD boxed set and accompanying art exhibition in London and performances in 2004 at the Astoria, London, Camber Sands, Sussex and Turin, Italy in 2005.
Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti again worked on numerous Throbbing Gristle projects, recordings, installations, exhibitions and performances. Their more recent activities included their groundbreaking audio/visual performance at Tate Modern turbine hall with a full choir, their 3-day 'public recording session' at the I.C.A London and their 2009 sell-out USA tour.
In recent years Carter Tutti performed in Pisa, Venice, Madrid, Barcelona, Athens Wroclaw, Berlin and London. They also appeared on the recent Current 93 album 'Black Ships Ate The Sky' and are currently working with a number of other musicians on collaborations and projects. The most recent Carter Tutti album 'Feral Vapours of the Silver Ether' was released in 2007 and heaped with praise, acclaim and rave reviews.
Chris continues to work solo and with both Throbbing Gristle Cosey on various projects. During the latter part of 2009 Chris has been extensively involved in the realisation and production of the TG loop playback machine 'Gristleism'. He is also currently working on a new solo experimental audio project titled CCCL (Chris Carter's Chemistry Lessons). During 2010 his acclaimed solo album 'The Space Between' is being re-released as a limited-edition remastered vinyl album. He has also been commissioned by The Technology & Innovation Research Centre to write an experimental piece of music in 2010 for the Dirty Electronics Ensemble.
Cosey Fanni Tutti
Born in Hull, Cosey began her career in music and art during 1969, appearing in art performances and musical improvisations in Hull until 1972.
In 1973, Cosey moved to London and continued working as a performance artist representing Britain at the 9th Paris Biennale, 1975 and Arte Inglese Oggi, 1976. She also performed in Belgium, Germany, Holland, France, Italy, Austria, USA and Canada until 1980.
Throughout the period 1973 - 1980 Cosey was exhibiting, contributing to mail art exhibitions and performing in other group exhibitions around the world. Often working naked in her performances, Cosey went on to investigate self-image within the context of sex magazines and sex films, glamour modelling and striptease acts. Her experiences within these industries during the period 1973 - 1984 were brought into her art work as she explored the many aspects of sex as it is perceived and transacted as commercial product. She placed conventional beauty in a situation where it was subjected to simulated mutilation before a live audience. This provided a visual contrast highlighting and questioning the notion of what is presentable as 'beauty'.
In her infamous exhibition 'Prostitution' at the Institute of Contemporary Art, London, 1976 Cosey Fanni Tutti occupied multiple roles; artist, model, musician, and herself. Music was used in some of Cosey's performances in preference to spoken language, which she considered an obstacle to her visual presentations. She continued to explore
the use of sound, scientifically, politically, commercially and as a means of physical pleasure or pain. In 1976 she co-founded the group Throbbing Gristle with Chris Carter, Peter Christopherson and Genesis P-Orridge. They broke the rules of established music and its contextual business practice, ultimately becoming successful with their own record label, Industrial Records. In 1981 Cosey immersed herself in creating music and video with partner Chris Carter under the name Chris & Cosey most recently performing and recording as Carter Tutti. Their joint musical and video collaborations, some 32 albums, have met with continuing international success.
1994 marked Cosey's re-entry into the art world since which time her works have been widely exhibited in Museums and Galleries in the UK, USA, Italy, Austria, Germany, Lisbon, Japan, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland and Sweden.
Cosey's continuing multi disciplinary approach to her work has generated many audio and visual works contributing to a prolific output in the past 15 years alongside her guest lectures, discussion panel appearances and numerous presentations.
Her approach to her work also inspired the one day event in March 2010 'COSEY COMPLEX' at the ICA, London in which a range of artists, writers and other practitioners were invited to present works inspired by the notion of 'Cosey as Methodology', culminating in a music event 'COSEY CLUB-ICA'.
In 2009 - 2010 Cosey's work was part of the travelling exhibition 'Pop Life:Art in a Material World' at Tate Modern, London. Also in 2010 Cosey performed a solo audio visual piece in the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern as part of the Tate Modern 10th birthday celebrations.
Her art practice takes its place alongside her continuing music work with Chris Carter (as CARTER TUTTI) and the re-grouping of Throbbing Gristle and their continuing world-wide performances and recordings. Her work continues to be exhibited internationally, most recently in 'Pop Life' at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Canada and 'Picture Industry' at Regen Projects summer show in Los Angeles in 2010.
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Throbbing Gristle in UbuWeb Film